Stock guard



Oct. 19 192e.

F` A. GARCIA STOCK GUARD Filed March 4, 1924 WITNESSES IN VEN TOR ma Gamm,

ATTORNEYS Patented @et 19, 1926.

rari-Nr ortica,

STOCK GUARD.

Application filed March 4, 1924. Serial No. 98,882.

My invention is an improvement in stock guards and it consists in the combinations, constructions-and arrangements herein .described and claimed.

-An object of the invention is to provide ya guard which is adapted to be positioned across a pit, irrigation ditch or like place either in a gateway or opening in a fence or at any other suitable place, and which includes movably supported guard members normally disposed in position to prevent the passage of live 'stock thereacross but adapted to be moved by the weight of an automotive vehicle on any one of the guard members to position to provide a practically smooth and continuous surface over which the automotive vehicle may pass.

il further object of the invention is to provide a guard of the character described having means acting to return the guard members to normal position when an automotive lvehicle passing thereacross has moved out of contact with all of the guard members.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described in which the guard members may be releasably secured in position to permit the passage of live stock thereacross without injury to such live stock. l

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a stoclr guard embodying the invention,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the stock guard in inverted position,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective sectional view of the stock guard, the view being taken substantially along the line 3--3 of Fig. 1,

Figure 4 is a relatively enlarged Vfragmentary `vertical sectional view of the stock guard, the view being taken substantially along `the li-ne .4r-11 of Fig. 1, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the stock guard, showing the latching means comprised therein for holdin-g the guard members flatwise on horizontal supporting members.

A stock guard embodying the invention comprises a supporting lframe formed of a pair of frame members or sills 1 which extend longitudinally of the frame and are connected and held in spaced parallel relation by parallel spaced apart transverse frame members or sills 2, 3, l, 5, 6, and 7, respectively. The transverse frame member 2 is disposed vat one end of the. frame while the transverse member 7 is disposed at the opposite end of the frame, the transverse member 3 being proximate to thev Spaced bars 11 similar to the bars havey the end portions thereof resting upon strips 12 and 1,3 which respectively are secured to the confronting faces of theV transverse frame members 6 and 7. With the varrangement described, the bars 8 and 11 extend in parallel relation to the longitudinal frame members and a relatively wide space is provided between each two adjacent bars 8 or 11.

The par-ts of the device described so far preferably are made lof wood but may be made of any other suitable material, such as structuralsteel. l i

The supporting structure for the major portion or body of the `device comprises the spaced transverse members 3, ,4, 5 and *.6 and the portions of the longitudinal frame members 1 connected by these-transverse members. Two fixed elongated tread members or plates 14 and 15, respectively, extend across and are secu-red to the transverse members 3, 4,- 5 and `6, the fixed tread member 14 having the outer edge portion thereof superimposed upon the lportion of one of the longitudinal members l that extends between the transverse members 8 and Y6 and the -fixed tread member 15 having the -outer edge portion thereof similarly disposed in respect te the portion of the other longitudinal member 1 that extends between the transverse members 3 an-d 6.

The space between the adjacent edges of the fixed tread members 14 and 15 may be closed by two series of movable guard inembers 16 and 17, respectively, each of these guard members having the form of a relatively narrow substantially rectangular plate having a length approximately equal to that of the fixed tread members 14 and also equal to the distance between the remote faces of the transverse members 3 and 6. Each guard member 16 is held continuously in parallel relation to the lixed tread members 14 and 15 and the longitudinal sills 1 by three similar transversely alined bell crank levers 18, 19 and 20, which respectively are pivotally supported on a metal facing strip 21fthat is secured to the transverse sill 3 and extends longitudinally of the latter, a transverse metallic supporting strip 22 that is disposed between the sills 1 midway between the transverse sills 8 and 6 and has attaching portions at its ends secured as at 23 to the sills 1 against the inner faces of the latter, and a metal facing strip 24 that is secured to the sill 6 against the inner face of the latter. Each guard member 16 is secured upon upper arms of the respective bell crank levers 18, 19 and 20 and the respective guard members 16 are arranged in a series extending transversely of the frame inwardly from the inner edge of the fixed member 14, the arrangement being such that adjacent tread members 16 will be in edgewise adjacent or nearly contiguous relation when the tread members 16 are disposed flatwise upon the transverse sills 3, 4, 5, and 6, the series of tread members 16 then extending nearly to the longitudinal median line of the supporting frame. The lower arms of the bell crank levers 18 are pivotally attached adjacent to their lower ends to a connecting bar 25. The lower arms of the bell crank levers 19 are pivotally attached adjacent to their lower ends to a connecting'bar 26 andthe lower arms of th-e bell crank levers 2() are similarly attached to a connecting bar 27. The respective tread members 16 thus are supported to move inunison. The upper arms of the bell crank levers 18, 19 and 20 extend from their points of pivotal connection with the'supports hereinbefore mentioned in the direction of the longitudinal median line of the supporting frame. These bell crank levers may be swung about the axes of their respective pivot supports until the respective guard members 16 have been tilted transversely and are inclined inwardly and upwardly from the outer longitudinal edges thereof to their inner longitudinaledges, a relatively wide gap then being provided between adjacent guard members 16.V

Each guard member 17 is supported upon the upper arms of transversely alined bell crank levers 28, 29 and 30, which respectively are pivotally mounted upon the facing strip 21, the supporting strip 22 and the facing strip 24, the axes of the pivotal connections of the bell crank levers for each of the guard members 17 being horizontally alined. The lower arms of the respective bell crank levers 28 are connected by a con-- necting bar 31; the lower arms of the bell crank levers 29 are connected by a connecting bar 32 and the lower arms of the bell crank levers 30 likewise are connected by a connecting bar 33. The bell crank levers 28, 29 and 30 may be swung in unison to position the guard members 17 flatwise across the transverse sills 3, 4, and 6, the adjacent guard members 17 then being in edgewise adjacent or nearly contiguous relation and the series of guard members 17 extending transversely of the frame from the inner edge of the lixed tread member practical- Vly to the longitudinal median line of the frame whereby the inner or adjacent guard members 16 and 17 will be in substantially edgewise contiguous relation when both guard members 16 and 17 are disposed fiatwise upon the transverse sills 3, 4, 5 and 6 and a practically continuous surface or platform then will be provided to extend transversely across the supporting frame.

The members 17 may be swung from positions in which they are disposed flatwise upon the supporting sills 3, 4, 5, and 6 to positions in which they are in upwardly and inwardly inclined from their outer longitudinal edges to their inner longitudinal edges and a relatively wide gap is then provided between each two adjacent members 17 and between the adjacent members 16 and 17. The guard members 16 and 17 are held in ojjipositely inclined positions normally through the action of similar retractile springs 34 and 35 which respectively connect the lower arms of adjacent bell crank levers 18 and 28 and the lower arms of adjacent bell crank levers 26 and 30. Each guard member 16 or 17 then slopes from its inner longitudinal edge toward its lower longitudinal edge. The series of guard member 16 and the series of guard members 17 connected together to move in unison from oppositely inclined positions to horizontally alined positions, or vice versa by means of a rocker member 66 which is supported intcrniediate its length upon a horizontal pivot element 37 carried by a depending extension 38 to the transverse supporting strip 22, and links 69 and 40 which respectively connect one end portion of the rocker member to the connecting bar 26 and the opposite end portion of the rocker member to the connecting bar 32.

The series of guard members 16 and 17 Lil) may be held releasably in horizontally .alined position upon the transverse sills 3, 4t, 5 and 6 through the agei'icy of a lever Ll1 which is supported at one end upon a. horizontal pivot4 element 4Q carried by a. bracket 412i on the sill 6, the lever being swingable downwardly from upright position to position to engage with a` projection il secured to one of the guard members 16 and extending beyond one end of the latter, whereby further downward movement of the lever Zl1 will cause the guard members 1G and 17 to be.

swung to horizontally alined positions in which 'they will be held when return or upward swinging movement of the lever t1 is prevented, as by means of a pivoted latch member d5 carried by the sill 6 and having a hooi; at the free end thereof adapted to engage with the normally free end portion of the lever l1 to hold the latter against upward swinging movement.

A tread board 16 is placed across certain of the bars 11 in adjacent relation to the lever Ll1 to provide a support on which a person desiring to operate the lever l1 may stand.

Base boards 47 secured to the lower faces of the sills 1 extend'inwardly from the planes of the latter and provide relatively wide bearing surfaces adapted to rest upon the earth at opposite sides of a ditch, pit or like place. Y

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. The body of the device comprises the iixed tread members 1land 15, the movable guard meinbers 16 and 17, and the supporting structure therefor while the bars 8 and 11 and the supporting` members therefor serve as end guard extensions to the body. rlihe provision of the end extensions insures a device of relatively great length the distance from the sill 3 to the sill G being greater than the width of a vehicle of ordinary,construction so that the device is adapted to span an opening on a fence or gateway of relatively great width and injury to a vehicle is obviated should the wheels of the latter pass laterally of either the sill 3 or the sill 6 in passing across the device.

lVhen the guard members are in normal or edgewise inclined position, passage of live stock across the device is prevented. At this time the guard members 1G incline downwardly toward one side of the device while the guard members 17 slope downwardly toward the opposite side of the device. Therefore the wheels of an automotive vehicle moving on the device from either of the opposite sides thereof will pass on the outermost of the guard members 16 or 17 and the weight of the automotive vehicle then will cause all the guard members to move against the action of the springs R4 and 25 to position to rest flatwise upon the supporting transverse sills so that a practically continuous and smooth surface is provided for the passage of the vehicle across the body of the device. As soon as the weight of the vehicle is removed from all the guardmembers 16 and 17, the springs Sel and 35 will function to return the guard members to normal or inclined position unless the guard members are held flatwise against the supporting transverse sills through the action of the presser lever t1 and the latching member 115.

Gbviously, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing and I therefore consider my own all modifications and adaptations thereof that fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

1. A device of the character described comprising a body including a substantially rectangular frame adapted to be positioned in a roadway and including a pair of parallel sills extending across the roadway and transverse sills connecting the first named sills, a plurality of elongated fiat guard members, pivoted means for supporting the guard members upon the transverse sills to extend in parallel relation to the first named sills, said guard members being adapted to be positioned flatwise in edgewise contiguous relation upon the transverse sills or in spaced planes extending obliquely to the plane of the frame, the guard members located at opposite sides of the longitudinal median line of the frame being inclined in opposite directions when in the last named position, and downwardly toward their outer edges, and means acting to maintain said guard members normally in inclined positions.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a frame adapted to be positioned across a roadway, a plurality of elongated flat guard members, means pivotally supporting said guard members on the frame in positions parallel to one another so that the guard members extend transversely of the roadway and comprise two parallel series respectively disposed at opposite sides of a median line of said frame, said guard members being swingable from horizontally flatwise positions to positions inclined to the horizontal and the guard members on each side of said median line of the frame sloping toward their outer edges when in inclined positions, and spring means holding the guard members normally in their inclined positions.

3. A device of the character described. comprising a frame, a plurality of bell crank levers supported on the frame to swing about axes parallel to a median line of the frame, elongated flat guard members carried by said bell crunk levers and adapted to swing` with the supporting bell crank levers from horizontally lutwise positions to positions inclined to the horizontal, the guard members zit opposite sides of said median line of the frame slopingl toward their outer edges when in inclined positions,

means connecting the bell Crank levers i'or the guard members at each of said opposite sides of said median line of the 'frame to swing' in unison, and spring means tending` to hold Suid guard members in their inclined positions.

FELICE ANTHONY GARCIA. 

